When Decisions are Made Differently
by PurpleDragonKeeper123
Summary: One small decision Merlin makes changes the whole future... Destiny states that Arthur and Merlin are two sides of the same coin, but if something changes then that destiny is one side of a different coin, and the other side? Another destiny. AU, OCs will feature later on. Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin! Please R&R!
1. Prologue

**AN: **So.. Hi! This is my first fic ever, so this is kind of exciting XD This is just the Prologue, and I'm trying to set the scene for the main story, so hopefully everyone will enjoy it!

Disclaimers: I DON'T OWN MERLIN (Unfortunately.. :( )

* * *

"_Will had magic," Arthur said, "That was what you were going to tell me, wasn't it?"_

**Merlin**

The thought rushed through Merlin's head. He had the chance to keep his secret safe, to make sure Arthur didn't find out; Arthur had already come up with a foolproof explanation for not only the awkward conversation in his mother's house before the battle, but for the strange happenings that had practically saved Arthur's life not an hour ago.

"No, that's not what I wanted to say." Merlin blurted out. He wasn't even aware he was saying it until the words had left his mouth. Arthur looked at him, confused.

"Well? What was it?" he demanded after a few moments of silence, "Come on, Merlin, spit it out!" Merlin took a deep breath, contemplating whether he knew Arthur enough to share his secret.

"I..." Merlin stuttered, "I..." he stopped.

"Idiot..." Arthur muttered. Merlin frowned angrily.

"I was the one who caused the wind. It wasn't Will, it was me. _I_ have magic." Arthur stood there, slightly in front of Merlin with his back to him. Merlin couldn't tell what he was thinking when Arthur turned around, his face emotionless.

"I will give you one chance to take that back, Merlin," Arthur said, "Or I'll be expecting proof. And I can't guarantee that this won't go to my father."

Merlin paused, "No." He said.

"No?" Arthur questioned.

"No, I'm not going to lie anymore. The number of times I have saved your royal ass using magic, Arthur... I'm not hiding it anymore. I'm a warlock, I have magic, and I've been using it for almost a year to save you from sorcerers, bandits and a whole load of other enemies, most of whom you didn't even know you had, so... what do you think?"

Merlin wasn't sure what he expected; perhaps an outburst of rage, or perhaps Arthur ordering for his arrest right there and then.

What he didn't expect was Arthur turning around and walking away without another word.

**Arthur**

He had expected Merlin to withdraw what he'd said immediately. No matter how often he said, Arthur didn't believe that Merlin was stupid. Reckless and excitable sometimes, but never stupid. And, as much as he'd also like to deny it, Arthur had suspected the very thing Merlin had told him for months.

Too many coincidental things had happened for an unknown force not to be involved. For example, not even a knight would have been fast enough to reach Arthur from where Merlin has been standing when the Lady Helen (or rather, the sorceress impersonating her) had tried to kill him at the banquet during which Merlin was named his personal servant. After that, there was the incident with Knight Valiant; he was foolish to even begin to think that the snakes had come alive of their own accord. And then there was the incident where Merlin was poisoned, and a light guided Arthur on his quest to find a cure...

The list was seemingly endless, and Arthur cursed himself for not thinking about the subject in more depth sooner. In fact, he didn't quite know why he had walked away when Merlin had confirmed his suspicions.

So with this thought in mind, he turned around to walk back towards the village. He hadn't realised how far he'd actually walked until he took in his surroundings and found himself in the forest. Instead of going to find Merlin, however, it seemed like Merlin had found him.

"I'm sorry." Merlin told him, leaning against a tree.

"You have no reason to be sorry," Arthur said, looking at his servant, "I've known for ages, Merlin. Honestly, what do you take me for, a complete idiot?"

"What do you mean you've known for ages?!" Merlin asked, "I've kept it a secret!"

"The worst kept secret in the history of Camelot if you ask me..." Arthur muttered. Merlin glared at him, "Fine, fine. I didn't know for sure, but I suspected!" Arthur protested, noticing Merlin's amused look.

"Oh, yeah, of course," Merlin said sarcastically.

"Have you forgotten that I still have the power to turn you over to my father?" Arthur threatened.

"You can't do that," Merlin said, jumping down off the tree root he'd been standing on, "You need me."

Arthur looked sceptical, "And why would _I_ need _you_, _Merlin_?!"

"I've already told you," Merlin said smugly, "You'd be dead about ten times over if it wasn't for me and my gift. You should be knighting me!"

"Ha! I don't think so, Merlin," Arthur said, "But I will say... thank you. For all of those times."

Merlin turned serious, "Today paid for it," he said, "It means a lot, you know. You helping my mother, and my village. So... thank you."

And awkward silence fell between the two.

"I say we never speak of this conversation ever again." Arthur proposed.

"Agreed." Merlin said immediately. He started drifting back towards the village.

"But, Merlin," Arthur called after him. Merlin turned to look at him, "If you ever lie to me again about something like _this_, I'll have you put in the stocks for a month."

"Yes, sire," Merlin said grinning.

* * *

**What did you think? I'd really appreciate some reviews, just to let me know... I know there is a lot of this idea out there but, like I said, I'm just trying to set the scene for future chapters. Pretty please review, and thanks for reading :)**

**PurpleDragonKeeper123  
**


	2. A New Arrival

**AN: **I'm back! I got a review on my first chapter... that excites me :3 So thank you to **SiriusHeartsRemusCauseHeCan **for reviewing! (We all love a bit of Wolfstar :3)

And I now give you Chapter 1! This is based somewhere between the end of series 1 and the beginning of series 2, just to give you an idea :) Disclaimer: I still don't own Merlin... *sigh* But I DO own Gina.. She's mine I tell you! ALL MINE! MWAHAHAHA XD ... *awkward turtle*

* * *

**Arthur**

Merlin struggled down the steps, Arthur's armour in his arms piled up so high he couldn't see over the top of it all.

"Come on, Merlin, I have to be at the training ground in five minutes!" Arthur yelled from the bottom of the stone steps in front of the castle. Merlin muttered angrily to himself as he carried on down the steps.

"You know, maybe I'd go faster if you _gave me a hand?!_" Merlin said through gritted teeth.

"Why have a servant if you're going to do everything yourself?" Arthur replied smugly.

"Hey, I've saved your life more times that you've read a book!" Merlin protested, "Not that that's hard to beat..."

"_Mer_lin, I honestly do think that you _beg_ for a day in the stocks sometimes..." Arthur muttered grumpily.

"You wouldn't do that! What if your royal ass needs saving whilst I'm stuck having rotten food thrown at me?!" Arthur just rolled his eyes.

Since Merlin had told him his secret, and strange kind of bond had formed between the two. Previously, it had very much been a prince/servant relationship, one where Arthur was in charge and that was that (although Merlin's sarcastic comments and inability to follow orders would suggest otherwise). However, as the two continued to work together, Arthur came to respect Merlin more for the work he did, especially after the incident in which Merlin had been poisoned. To Arthur this had just been an act of chivalry, and he repeatedly stated that he was just doing what was right, and anyone would have done of it. To everyone else, it meant something completely different:

Arthur liked Merlin a hell of a lot more than he was letting on.

And now that Merlin had trusted Arthur with such an important and life-changing secret, Arthur had come to see just how much Merlin valued his friendship, and just how much Merlin's friendship meant to himself.

"Give me my sword and helmet, Merlin," Arthur said sighing. Merlin stopped dead in his tracks, completely shocked. He hurriedly gave Arthur his helmet and sword before he could change his mind.

A big black horse cantered into the courtyard, ridden by a girl no older than thirteen years old. I came to a sudden stop in front of Merlin and Arthur. Arthur was stunned by the entry, but Merlin smiled in recognition.

"I'd know those riding skills anywhere!" he said happily, dropping Arthur's armour to the ground as the horse neighed in recognition.

"Merlin, you can't just leave my armour on the ground!" Arthur said in protest; Merlin just ignored him.

"Good to see you big brother," the girl on the horse said grinning as Merlin helped her down.

"Good to see you too little sister!" he said, giving her a hug.

"Little sister?" Arthur questioned. Merlin turned to him.

"Yeah. Arthur this is Georgina, my little sister. Gina, this is Prince Arthur," Merlin said.

"Wow, my big brother working for royalty; I never thought I'd see the day," Gina grinned, "It's very nice to meet you, Sire," she continued.

"The pleasure's all mine," he said, but before they could get any further into the conversation, Gwen and Morgana walking over to them interrupted them.

"Arthur," Morgana said as she approached, "Guess what I've done."

"Made a promise to be a servant for a day and give Guinevere the day off work?" he asked. Morgan rolled her eyes and frowned.

"No," she said, "I've gotten Uther to let you off of training tomorrow so that you can come riding with me and Gwen," Arthur groaned.

"Morgana, if we have a war on the horizon, then I can't just 'have the day off'!" Arthur said indignantly.

"You worry too much!" Morgana protested, "You need a break." She noted Gina for the first time. "Who's this?" she asked, smiling kindly at Gina.

"Merlin's sister," Arthur said.

"I didn't know you had a sister, Merlin," Gwen said, sounding surprised.

"Gina, this is Morgana, the King's ward, and Gwen, her servant. And Arthur's girlfriend," he added, in a whisper that he didn't even pretend to keep quiet.

"Shut up, Merlin," Arthur said angrily, but also a little nervous, "That's a secret for a reason!"

"It's very nice to meet you," Gina interrupted, getting slightly bored of the petty bickering between her brother and his master.

"Merlin, tell me, did manners skip the male generation of your family? Because your mother and your sister are lovely people and then there's you..."

Gina laughed as Merlin scowled at Arthur.

"Gina, why don't you go and put your horse in the stables, just tell them Arthur said you could," Merlin told her, forcing a smile onto his face.

"I'll come with you, actually, I need to get one of the stable hands to make sure my horse is ready for tomorrow," Morgana said, "Don't forget Arthur! We leave after breakfast!"

Gina took her horse by the reigns and followed Morgana to the stables, Arthur, Merlin and Gwen watching after them.

"She looks like you," Gwen noted, smiling as Gina and Morgana both laughed at something one of them said before turning the corner. Arthur had realised this too: they had the same blue eyes, though Gina's hair was dark blonde and hung in ringlets down her back, the sides pulled back and plaited, tied with a blue bow. They had the same facial features, and, despite the obvious (in Arthur's opinion) difference in manners, they seemed to be similar personality wise as well.

"She's more like me than you can see on the surface," Merlin said quietly, picking up the armour and walking in the direction of the training ground.

Gwen and Arthur shared a look that said that they both knew exactly what Merlin was referring to.

* * *

**Morgana**

"So, you're Merlin's sister?" Morgana asked Gina as they turned the corner.

"Yep," Gina said smiling, "The better of the two siblings, obviously." Her seriousness made Morgana chuckle and Gina smiled again.

"You seem... quite similar," Morgana said, attempting to put her words in a way that Gina would understand the true meaning of them: did she also have magic?

"We are," Gina agreed, "We share a certain... gift." Morgana nodded knowingly.

"Merlin is particularly fond of using this gift to save Arthur's ass from all kinds of dangers," Morgana said laughing, "Even when Arthur is convinced he doesn't need any help." Morgana distinctly remembered the day Merlin had told her about said 'gift'. Not that he had needed to...

"_Morgana, would you consider us friends?" Merlin asked randomly one day, roughly a fortnight after the situation in Ealdor. _

"_I think so," she'd replied, "We're certainly not strangers, or mortal enemies or anything like that. Why do you ask?"_

_They were out hunting with Arthur and a couple of knights. Gwen was riding in front of them, chatting with Sir Leon, reminiscing about their childhoods. Merlin had no interest in hunting, and couldn't see why Arthur, or anyone for that matter, would find it either entertaining or enjoyable. Similarly, Morgana didn't really care for hunting today, though normally she would have thought it fun and exciting. Today, however, was a quiet day, and the woods seemed completely deserted. _

"_Do you consider us friendly enough to be able to keep my secret?" Merlin asked._

"_Does Arthur know this secret?" Morgana asked, somewhat amused my Merlin's attempted subtlety when approaching the matter. _

"_Possibly," Merlin said suspiciously, "Why?"_

"_Honestly, Merlin, you should know by now that Arthur's mouth is almost as big as his ego!" Morgana said laughing, "He told me barely two days after he found out himself! He can't keep a secret to save his life! Though that is a job you seem to have assigned yourself."_

"_He is such a prat!" Merlin muttered angrily, "I don't even know why I told him..."_

"_Because you were bored of lying," Morgana said, "And I don't blame you! Not even I could keep up appearances for that length of time, no matter what was at stake."_

"_Yeah, well, I'm regretting it slightly now..." Merlin said grimly. _

"_Don't hate Arthur too much," she said, "It's a big secret, Merlin, especially when he's so close to Uther. He had to tell someone."_

"_Stupid logic that makes perfect sense..." Merlin said, smiling slightly, "But I guess you're right."_

"_Is now a good time to mention that Gwen also knows?" Morgana slipped in casually. Merlin glared at her, which just made Morgana laugh at the hilarious look on his face. After a few more seconds, Merlin was laughing too, and the two became a little closer due to an experience that would have been totally different had Arthur been able to keep his mouth shut for once. _

"Merlin tends to think he always knows best," Gina agreed, "But I love him for it."

"How long has it been since you last saw him?" Morgan asked, "I don't remember seeing you in Ealdor when we were attempting to get rid of that appalling debt collector.."

"About... a year? I spent a while travelling with... a group of people like Merlin and me. When I returned, Merlin had already left for Camelot," Gina said sadly.

"You are staying, though, aren't you?" Morgana asked. The young girl intrigued her somehow; she wasn't sure why or what it was about her, but Morgana found her interesting.

"Yes, for a while at least," Gina replied, "My mother sent a letter to Gaius, so hopefully I'll be able to stay."

"It'll be good for Merlin, having some family around." Morgana said smiling. Gina just nodded, her mind elsewhere.

* * *

**Arthur**

For the rest of the day, Merlin couldn't help but walk around with a spring in his step. His younger sister was in Camelot, the younger sister he hadn't seen for nearly a year.

Arthur let him have his fun; as much as Merlin's erratic behaviour annoyed him, was lenient enough to let his servant have _one_ day of happiness at least.

Tomorrow was a completely different matter.

"Merlin, tell me about your sister?" Arthur asked as he was sitting at the table in his chambers, poking at his lunch with little interest (he had had a big breakfast, something he was now regretting). Merlin was wandering around, tidying little things here and there, not really focusing on anything.

But when Arthur mentioned his sister he smiled widely.

"She's... amazing," Merlin said fondly, "She's kind, she's funny, she sticks up for herself, she's an amazing rider..."

"She sounds like the very opposite of you!" Arthur exclaimed amusedly.

"Hey!" Merlin said indignantly, "I can ride!"

"Yes, yes, of course you can..." Arthur said sarcastically, "Why is she here?"

"No idea," Merlin shrugged, "But if she's here then my mother sent her. And if my mother sent her, then she's here to stay, for a while at least."

Arthur considered this for a second, "You came here because of your magic, didn't you?" he asked Merlin.

"There was too big a risk of people finding out back in Ealdor," Merlin said sadly, "After I told Will, my mother went crazy. She didn't want me risking my life like that. But as I grew older, so saw that I could use it for good and... I came here."

"Where your definition of 'using it for good' is making sure I don't get killed in fights?" Arthur asked sceptically, "That's hardly the best was to use your 'gift'"

"One day you'll be King," Merlin said simply, "at which point, I trust you to bring magic back to Camelot. For now... I'll settle for this."

Arthur shook his head, "You really are a hard one to work out, Merlin."

"I try my best," Merlin replied grinning.

"So Gina," Arthur continued, "Is she here because of her magic?"

"She spent ten months travelling with druids, learning, travelling," Merlin said, "I doubt she'd come _here_ if it was something to do with magic."

"Well maybe she's here for you, then," Arthur said, rolling his eyes, "If I'd known it was going to be this difficult to figure out, then I'd never have asked..."

"Why don't we just go and ask her?" Merlin said, smiling, "I've barely seen her since she got here anyway."

"Fine," Arthur said pushing his plate away and leading the way out of the door.

* * *

**Opinions? I'd love to hear your thoughts ^-^ I know this is little bit bizarre and I don't think it's particularly well written, but I will develop the idea and things will become clearer as the story progresses :) Thanks for reading, please review and TTFN (Ta ta for now :3)**

**PurpleDragonKeeper123**


	3. Prophecies and Destinies

**AN:** Hello! Sorry about the wait for this chapter, no excuse, except for, you know, Christmas XD Anyways, I'm back now with a new chapter (which is still set between the last episode of Series 1 and the first episode of series 2) Enjoy!

* * *

**Gina**

When Merlin and Arthur eventually found Gina, she was in Morgana's chambers with Morgan and Gwen, telling them stories of what Merlin was like as a child.

"Oh! Speak of the devil," Morgana said as Merlin and Arthur walked in, still giggling at the story Gina had just finished, "Merlin, you really were a funny toddler!"

"Oh, Gina," Merlin groaned, "What have you been telling them?!"

"Just the time you fell off the fence," Gina said, also giggling, "And the time you fell off of the side of the well. And off the roof of the house. And..." Gwen was now in fits of laughter, Morgana was almost crying and even Arthur was sniggering slightly.

"Gina, you've been here just over an hour, and you've already embarrassed me more than I have in the year I've been here!" Merlin exclaimed.

"Oh, I highly doubt that, Merlin," Arthur said, "You've made yourself look like a complete idiot since you've been here."

"Er, do you mind?!" Merlin said, glaring at Arthur, "I might have looked like an idiot, but at least you're still standing!" Arthur rolled his eyes.

"Honestly, Merlin, does the 'I've saved your life a countless number of times' excuse never get old?!" Arthur questioned exasperatedly.

"_Moving on_," Morgana said forcefully, stopping the argument before it could continue, "Did you two want anything in particular, or did you just come for a visit?"

"We have a question for Gina," Merlin said grinning.

"Okay, now I'm interested," Gina said.

"We were wondering... _why_ you were here?" Arthur asked, sitting down opposite Morgana and next to Gwen at the table. Gwen slipped her hand into his affectionately.

Gina frowned slightly. "Merlin's told you about my time with the druids?" she asked after a moment's consideration.

"He mentioned it in passing," Arthur confirmed.

"Whilst with them, I tried to learn as much as I could. A lot of what they do is verbal spells, something I've never quite managed to master-"

"_Never_ managed to master more like!" Merlin said laughing. Gina glared at him. "Sorry, sorry... think of it as payback." Gina sighed.

"I don't get when you became such a master at it..." Gina complained.

"Since I came here," Merlin said, "I have a book. I'll show you later."

"Not much use if I still can't do them," Gina said sceptically, "But anyway. Whilst a lot of what the druids do is verbal spells, they also spoke a _lot_ about prophesies, and destinies. They spoke about Merlin and you a lot," she told Arthur, "And they spoke about Morgana as well, though not as often. And then, suddenly, they started talking about me, about my destiny. I'd been with them for half a year, and never before had they mentioned anything about me playing an important part in anything, let alone having my own destiny. And they were talking about it as if they'd known about it forever, and as if I was some kind of expert when I was clueless.

"I made them explain it to me, from the very beginning. They were completely confused, but it didn't even come close to how baffled I was... the basics of it were that there are thousands of decisions made every day, but most aren't big enough, or important enough, to change anything drastically. But, somewhere, on the day before all of the druids started talking about my destiny, someone made a decision that changed everything. Whatever they did gave me a destiny, and somehow it ties in with Merlin in a way that it shouldn't, because if that decision hadn't have been made then I wouldn't be here."

Arthur frowned before speaking, "So you're saying that you're here because of a decision someone made?"

"That's a short way of saying it, yes," Gina said.

"And that's all you know?" Arthur questioned.

"Yes," Gina said, frowning apologetically, "Sorry."

Merlin looked thoughtful. "Maybe you don't have the answers, Gina," he said, a mysterious look replacing the thoughtful one, "But maybe there's someone else who does..."

* * *

**Merlin**

Merlin didn't quite know what he was thinking, but what he _did_ know was that talking to the Great Dragon was the only way that he was going to get any answers over this 'destiny' business.

"Merlin where are we going?!" Gina whispered angrily as they approached the guarded gates that led down to the caves the dragon was imprisoned in.

"Shh!" Merlin hushed her, "I'll tell you in a minute just... shh!" Gina rolled her eyes as Merlin muttered a spell. The guards sitting at the table fell off of their chairs, sound asleep as Merlin creeped towards the gates, dragging Gina with him.

"Do you do this often?" she questioned knowingly.

"Now and again," Merlin said, grinning, trying and failing to look innocent as he led her down the steps.

"Can you tell me where we're going now?" she asked.

"I have a friend. He seems to know everything about this destiny stuff. I figured we'd ask him about what's been going on."

"Right..." Gina said sceptically, "You sure that'll work?"

"Nope..." Merlin said.

As they finally reached the dragon's lair, the dragon himself flew down as if he had been expecting their arrival. Merlin glanced around at Gina, expecting her to be scared or at least a little bit worried. However, his younger sister was completely calm, and almost looked excited as she looked at the dragon.

"Young warlock. Young sorceress." The dragon greeted this, "You have come for my help, I believe."

"Er, yes," Merlin said, "How did you... oh, never mind..." he said, reconsidering his decision to ask the dragon how he knew such a thing. He had come to learn by now that such a question would only receive a cryptic answer.

"It wasn't long ago when you thought you knew better than me, Merlin," the dragon stated, "You will now face the consequences of your actions."

"What are you talking about?" Gina asked, confused. "Sorry, hello. I'm Gina." She said, smiling at the dragon.

"Oh, I know exactly who you are, Georgina," the dragon said, "And I am talking about how your brother insisted that he had done the right thing after he told the prince of his gifts. I told him that his decision would have consequences beyond his harshest nightmares, and yet he continued to persist with his foolish obliviousness towards the prince's true nature."

"Which is?" Gina asked.

"Arthur Pendragon is, ultimately, a Pendragon. They are born with a hatred for magic running through their very veins, and have it forced into their minds religiously every day of their lives until they truly believe it."

"Arthur accepts my magic!" Merlin protested, "Apparently far more than you do!"

"It is not your magic I disapprove of, young warlock, it is your absence of reluctancy when it comes to trusting the knowledge of it in those who perhaps should not be trusted." Merlin glared at him, "Now, what have you came to ask of me, young warlock?" the dragon continued, something of a smirk on his face, knowing that he was not only changing the subject, but pretending that he didn't know the very thing that he was going to ask.

"We'd like to know about Gina's destiny," Merlin said, "If it's not too much trouble."

"The young sorceress' destiny is a complicated one," the dragon told him, "The only way to verbally explain it is by saying that it cannot be told fully at this point in time, only that the decisions made by Gina, and by others, will drive the destiny's course. The rest will, for now, have to be lived, and then, in time, enough knowledge will have been gathered for it to be told."

Merlin sighed. "Great," he said sarcastically.

"I'm not sure I fully understood a single word within that," Gina said, frowning, "But thank you. I'm sure it will become clearer... in time." And without a second thought she spun on her heel and walked out of the cave.

"Would it kill you to give us a straight answer?" Merlin questioned, sounding slightly curious, but mostly annoyed.

"Your sister's destiny takes many dangerous turns, Merlin," the dragon warned, "You must watch over her, help her in her studies. A knowledge of verbal spells will be vital for her in the future. Most importantly: think before you make decisions. You don't know who's destiny you may affect."

* * *

**Arthur**

Arthur tapped his fingers against the oak table in front of him. Merlin and Gina had been gone for almost half an hour, and they had told no one where they were going. Not only had they just disappeared, they had disappeared at lunchtime, and Arthur's stomach was growling ferociously by the time Merlin finally returned with Gina.

Arthur looked at him expectantly.

"What?" Merlin asked, confused.

"It's quarter to two, Merlin," Arthur said pleasantly.

"So?" Merlin asked, oblivious.

"_So_, you idiotic excuse for a servant, I should have eaten lunch _forty five minutes ago_!" Arthur exclaimed. Gina giggled quietly. Merlin frowned at her.

"Can't you get your own lunch?" Merlin asked. He ducked hurriedly as Arthur threw a goblet at his head. The goblet flew past his head, missing him by barely the width of a needle. Merlin could feel the wind ruffle his hair slightly as it sailed past.

"Can't you just magic it up on a plate?" Arthur retorted. As much as Arthur realised that Merlin's magic had, on several occasions, been much more than just a few 'magic tricks' as Morgana often called them, he had yet to see the impressive trickery that the king's ward spoke of.

Merlin considered for a moment, before a grin split across his face. He grabbed an empty plate from the centre of the table. He clicked his fingers and muttered the words '_andleofa__onhlídan__'. _

Food appeared on the plate so fast that Arthur began to wonder if it had been there all along, had it not been for the fact that he had heard Merlin utter the words of a spell and seen his eyes flash gold.

"Oh, er... thanks," Arthur said, throwing a grape from the plate up in the air and catching it effortlessly in his mouth. Merlin grinned.

"No problem," he said, he clicked his fingers and two bread rolls appeared on the other plate on the table. He chucked one to Gina, and took the other for himself.

"So," Arthur said, swallowing a huge mouthful of bread and cheese, "Where did you two go?"

"To... consult. With a friend of mine." Merlin said vaguely.

"I take it that this is a magical friend?" Arthur asked. Merlin just shrugged. "Merlin, I honestly cannot understand why you don't just tell me. I know all about your magic now. Very little you say can surprise me." Merlin looked at Gina, a mischievous glint in his eye.

"Okay, okay, fine," Merlin said, holding his hands up in mock surrender, "We went to see the dragon." Arthur looked between the two of them, before bursting out laughing.

"Don't be ridiculous, Merlin," Arthur said, cackling loudly, "The only dragon still alive is kept under the securest of guards in the whole kingdom. Now, really, where did you go?" When neither Merlin, nor Gina, answered, Arthur's eyes widened. "You... you actually _did_ see the dragon? How on _Earth_ did you get in?!"

"Magic." Gina said simply.

* * *

**Gina**

After explaining what they could to Arthur about her destiny, Gina and Merlin head off to do the last of the chores Arthur had given Merlin.

"So," Merlin said grinning, "How are you liking Camelot?"

Gina smiled, "I like it here," she said, "I like the business of it all. You can barely walk five steps without someone running past. It's so much more... exciting than Ealdor." However, even as she said this, she missed her old home.

"Ealdor isn't too far away you know," Merlin told her, "You can go back at any time you like. I'll come with you if you like. Just for a visit, obviously."

"No, no," Gina assured him, "Of course I'll visit mother sometimes, but Camelot is where I need to be. If what that dragon said is anything to go by, then whatever decisions you may or may not make might affect my destiny, so I'd better stick around and make sure you don't do anything I disapprove of," she said teasingly.

They carried on like this for a lot of what was rest of the day, Gina occasionally helping Merlin with his chores, but most of the time chatting, Merlin telling Gina all about Camelot and the people there, and both of them reminiscing of their childhoods in Ealdor.

It was almost sunset when Merlin finished his chores and, after taking Arthur his dinner, they headed down to Gaius' chambers. Morgana had said that Gina could leave her bags in her chambers until she needed them, so the two of them took a detour there first.

Gina knocked softly on the door to Morgana's room.

"Come in," Morgana called from inside. When Gina entered Morgana was sitting at the table eating her dinner.

"Good evening, my lady," Gina said grinning as she walked in.

"How was your day?" Morgana asked, eating a piece of cheese.

"Uneventful, mostly," Gina told her, picking up her bags from a corner of the room, "I helped Merlin with some chores, but not much else."

"You're lucky," Morgana called as Gina walked out of the door, waving a goodbye, "You've caught us on a quiet day!"

Gina was laughing when she entered Gaius' chambers with Merlin. Gaius looked up from the book he had been reading and smiled warmly.

"Georgina!" he exclaimed, standing up to greet her, "Goodness me, I haven't seen you for years!"

"It's good to see you again, Gaius," Gina said, giving him a hug, "Did you get mother's letter?"

"Yes, yes, that bird of yours was pecking my fingers until I'd written a reply," Gaius said wearily. Gina laughed.

"Yes, she, er, tends to do that," she said.

Malinda was a pet that Gina and Merlin's mother had had since she was a little girl. She had trained it as a messenger bird, but now she was only used in emergencies.

"Hmm, I have a feeling your mother trained her that way," Gaius said fondly, a twinkle in his eye, "Now, there's an extra bed set up in Merlin's room for you; you can put your things in there. I'll start cooking dinner."

"Thanks Gaius," Gina called as Merlin led her up the stairs and into his room. Gina rolled her eyes.

"What?" Merlin asked.

"Do you _ever_ tidy up?!" Gina asked, putting her bags on the bed that was actually made, "You have magic for goodness sakes, it would take you all of thirty seconds!"

"I spend every day cleaning up after Arthur," Merlin said simply, falling on his bed, "I can't be bothered to tidy up after myself on top!" Gina sighed.

She clicked her fingers and the clothes on the floor folded themselves and flew into an open drawer. The bed tipped Merlin off and onto the floor, then the covers straightened themselves. Gina was laughing hysterically at the look on Merlin's face as he lifted himself into a sitting position.

"Yes, okay, little miss show-off," Merlin muttered grumpily, "I can still do verbal spells!"

"Show me?" Gina asked.

"Later," Merlin promised.

As Gina lay awake in bed that night, she thought of what the dragon had said. About how her destiny depended on the choices made by her and others. She didn't even fully understand what that meant, much less how she was supposed to fulfil it.

She also thought about Merlin, and how he had supposedly performed the spells from his magic book with ease.

"Gina?" Merlin whispered from the other side of the room.

"Mmm?" Gina answered.

"Why do you think you can't do verbal spells?" Merlin asked, as if he had been reading her thoughts.

Gina shrugged, forgetting that Merlin couldn't see her in the darkness. "I don't know," she sighed, "Maybe someone has decided that I can't do them, so I can't," she whispered back giggling quietly.

"Somehow, I don't think that's what the dragon meant when he was talking about your destiny," Merlin replied, though he too laughed quietly.

"I guess we'll just have to find out as we go along," Gina said quietly, "Goodnight, Merlin."

"Night, Gina," Merlin murmured quietly.

As Gina drifted off to sleep, her thoughts rested on the dragon, and on the words he had spoken to Merlin as she had walked away:

'_Your sister's destiny takes many dangerous turns, Merlin," the dragon warned, "You must watch over her, help her in her studies. A knowledge of verbal spells will be vital for her in the future. Most importantly: think before you make decisions. You don't know who's destiny you may affect.'_

* * *

**Voila! What did you think? I'd really appreciate some feedback! Please review and thanks for reading!**

**PurpleDragonKeeper123**


	4. A Winner and Magical Explanations

**AN: **Yep, I know it's been a while since I updated.. :/ Sorry! But I'm back with a new chapter! There's a bit more Arthur/Merlin friendship in this chapter, which is a bit OOC, but meh, that's the amazingness of fanfiction! And it kind of works with this story, so it's all good! XD Enjoy!

* * *

**Gina**

The next morning, Merlin woke up early, and tried to be quiet as he could as he gathered supplies for his ride with Arthur, Morgana and Gwen.

However, Merlin being Merlin, got out of bed, walked three steps, and stubbed fell down the hole in the floor where his magic book was usually hidden. The plank of wood that normally hid the book was on the floor next to the hole, the book lying open at the end of Merlin's bed.

Merlin fell flat on his ace next to Gina's bed, where Gina was still supposedly asleep. As Merlin lifted himself up off the floor however, cursing himself for being so clumsy, he was met by Gina giggling uncontrollably, sitting up in bed having just watched the entire scene.

"Yes, yes, okay, it's not that funny, Gina," Merlin said rolling his eyes, "You could have stopped me falling!"

"But-that-was so-_funny_!" Gina said, gasping for breath between words. When she'd finally stopped laughing, she actually wondered why she had been woken up at such an ungodly hour, "Why are you up s early anyway?"

"Arthur's ride with Morgana, remember?" Merlin asked, packing his bag without looking up, "I have to sort everything Arthur wants to take with him out as well as my own; it's get up at dawn, or go unprepared and probably be ambushed by an evil sorcerer."

"Little bit extreme, don't you think?" Gina asked, also getting out of bed.

"With my luck, who knows?" Merlin muttered darkly.

* * *

Seeing as she was already up, Gina decided to walk with Merlin to Arthur's chambers. On the way, they bumped into Morgana, who was wandering the castle for no apparent reason.

"Oh! Merlin, Gina! Sorry, I didn't see you!" Morgana said snapping out of her dazed state.

"What are you doing just wandering around aimlessly?" Merlin asked.

"I, er, had a nightmare," Morgana said, rubbing her eye tiredly, "I thought a walk might clear my head."

"Did it?" Gina asked, noticing Morgana's tired complexion.

"Not really," Morgana admitted.

"You're still coming on the ride though, aren't you?" Merlin questioned, "Because I have no ambition of having a goblet thrown at my head if I wake Arthur up early for not reason..."

"No, no, I'll be fine after breakfast," Morgana assured him, smiling slightly, "Is Gina coming along?" she asked, looking to Gina.

"Er, no, no I don't think so," Gina said, almost shyly (but not quite).

"You should come," Morgana told her, starting to walk back towards her room, "It'll be fun to see Arthur outdone when it comes to riding!" with a wave, she headed back towards her chambers.

"So?" Merlin asked, after they'd spent a minute walking to Arthur's room in silence.

"So, what?" Gina replied, confused.

"Are you coming or not?" Merlin said, smiling, "I've got to agree with Morgana... it would be _so_ good to see Arthur put to shame... by a thirteen year old girl. That would keep me satisfied for years..."

Gina laughed, "I don't know," she said, "It would be weird! I mean, you're going because you're Arthur's servant, Gwen's going because she's Morgana's maid, and Arthur's only going because Morgana's forcing him..."

"And you'd be coming because Morgana invited you!" Merlin said, "I'm still not seeing your point."

"You really think it'd be okay for me to come?" Gina asked doubtingly.

"If you don't believe me, then ask Arthur," Merlin said, pushing the door open.

* * *

**Arthur**

Arthur sometimes wished that Merlin would change his morning routine a bit. It was the same thing every day, and, frankly, it was slightly boring.

"Rise and shine!" Merlin said cheerfully, throwing the curtains open. Arthur groaned, covering his face with a pillow. Merlin muttered something along the lines of 'I wouldn't do that if I were you, you're practically begging me to suffocate you'.

"What was that, Merlin?" Arthur asked, sitting up. The pillow fell off his face.

"Nothing, nothing!" Merlin said hastily. A giggle at the door alerted Arthur to the fact that Gina was in the room.

"Good morning, Georgina," Arthur said as Merlin flashed a huge grin at Gina, apparently proud of himself for coming up with whatever he had said a moment earlier.

"Good morning, sire," Gina replied, smiling happily.

"Merlin, please tell me you've thought of a way to get me out of going on this ride with Morgana," Arthur said, almost begging for an excuse to stay in the city and train with the knights all day.

"Er, no, sorry," Merlin said, "But Gina's coming now, if that's okay with you," he said, winking at Gina.

"Oh, sure, the more the merrier," Arthur muttered, flopping back down onto his pillows, sounding as if he'd rather do _anything_ else but go out for a ride.

"It'll be fun," Gina told him, smiling.

"That's what my father told me when he made Merlin my servant," Arthur said.

"I'm hurt," Merlin told him.

"That was the idea," Arthur retorted.

"Okay, I'm just going to leave you to your bickering and pack my bag," Gina said, shaking her head at the two, "Try not to kill each other," she added.

"I'd like to see Merlin try," Arthur grinned to himself. Merlin frowned at him. "What?!" Arthur questioned, "Do you honestly think you could beat me in a fight?"

"Yes!" Merlin said defensively.

"_Without_ magic?" Arthur clarified.

"Well that's just unfair!" Merlin protested.

"How is forbidding you to use something I don't have, to your advantage 'unfair'?!" Arthur said, getting out of bed.

"You're a warrior!" Merlin pointed out, "You can use a sword! You know I can't fight to save my life!" Arthur rolled his eyes.

"Honestly, Merlin, it's hard to believe that you are destined to keep me safe if you can't fight properly..." Arthur complained.

"I don't _need_ to fight properly," Merlin said smugly, "I have magic; magic is more powerful than a sword."

"Hmm," Arthur agreed sarcastically, "Especially when it only involves doing simple things, such as dropping branches on bandits' heads, or making soldiers trip over their own shoelaces."

"Hey, I _can_ do more than that you know!" Merlin grumbled.

"Yes, yes, okay Merlin, there's no need to go around signing your own praises..."

* * *

**Gina**

By the time Gina had packed a bag (which really involved_ unpacking _a lot of her stuff rather than re-packing it), Arthur and Merlin were down in the courtyard, Arthur leaning leisurely against the stone pillar at the bottom of the stairs as Merlin made sure his horse was ready. Silas, her horse, was also there, waiting for her to tack him up. He whinnied happily as she ran her hand down his neck.

"Hey, boy," she said fondly.

"I got one of the stable hands to bring him out for you," Merlin said grinning, "He's made himself quite at home in the stables."

"Thanks," she said, starting to tack him up. Every so often, she'd feed him a carrot from her bag, left over from her journey to Camelot.

"Gina, I think you're making my horse jealous," Arthur noted as his horse glared at Silas crunching away on his fourth carrot happily.

"Not my fault you don't give him treats," Gina shrugged, feeding Arthur's horse a carrot as well.

Morgana and Gwen appeared five minutes later, just as the stable hands were finishing tacking up their horses.

"Honestly, Morgana, it was your idea to go for a ride in the first place," Arthur said, "If anyone should have been late, it should have been me, not you!"

"Stop your moaning and lets go," Morgana grumbled good-naturedly, "I'm glad you're coming," she whispered to Gina, "If previous rides are anything to go by, I will _not_ get any attention from Gwen because of a certain someone," she said, staring pointedly at Arthur. Gina laughed as they set off across the courtyard.

"As long as they don't do anything too graphic, I'm okay with that," she said.

* * *

They rode into the forest, Arthur riding at the front with Gwen, Merlin in the middle, and Morgana and Gina bringing up the rear. Morgana and Gina were making random conversation, and Gwen was laughing hysterically at something Arthur had said (which Morgana found pretty unbelievable; she wasn't aware Arthur had the ability to be funny). Merlin was in his own little world.

Eventually they came to an open stretch of land wide enough for the five of them to ride side by side. An evil grin appeared on Morgana's face.

"How about we race?" she said slyly, "First one to the clearing at the end wins?"

"Ohhh you don't want to do that..." Merlin said, grinning, "You don't want to put yourself against Gina and Silas in a race..."

"Oh, come on, Merlin, how hard can it be?" Arthur said sceptically.

Merlin shook his head, "Your funeral..." he muttered, "But I'm not putting myself against Gina. I'll stand on the sidelines and watch as you humiliate yourself."

"Me neither," Gwen said, "I'm not one for racing horses..."

"What about you, Morgana," Arthur said wryly, "Too scared to race?"

"It was _my_ idea," she retorted, "Why would I be scared?"

"You're up against Gina..." Merlin said, "Still a great reason to pull out!"

"Just because you're too scared, Merlin!" Arthur said.

"Don't say he didn't warn you," Gina muttered as the three of them got ready to race and Merlin rode down to the clearing at the end to act as linesman.

Arthur leaned towards Gina slightly, "Gina, may I just warn you that... I'm going to be king one day, so, if I don't win..."

"Are you trying to tell me that you expect me to let you win?" Gina asked, hardly believing her ears.

"No! No, but you know, should you be winning... just remember that." He said, as Gwen got ready to set them off.

"No cheating," Morgana noted, looking pointedly at Gina.

"I won't cheat if you don't," she said, grinning.

The second Gwen said 'Go' Gina was racing off, already leaving Arthur and Morgana in the dust behind her. She truly did think about what Arthur said... for about half a second. By then she'd almost won anyway.

By the time Arthur reached the clearing, Merlin had set the picnic blanket out on the grass in the sun, and Gina was tying Silas' reigns on a tree branch by the small stream surrounding the clearing.

"You cheated!" he exclaimed, climbing off his horse.

"I did not!" Gina protested, "It's not my fault I'm faster than you!" Arthur glared at her.

"Ignore him, Gina," Morgana called; she had given up halfway down the stretch and was riding leisurely with Gwen, "He's just a sore loser. He'll get over in, about... a year?" Morgana and Gwen both laughed as Arthur went to tie his horse next to Gina's.

"I did warn you," Merlin said grinning as Arthur walked past.

"Shut up, Merlin," Arthur growled, angry that he had not only been beaten by a girl, but a girl nearly half a decade younger than him. Merlin, Morgana and Gina herself would never let it go...

* * *

**Arthur**

Arthur and Gina wouldn't stop bickering as they rode back to Camelot.

"Come on, how did you do it?" Arthur demanded, "No _way_ could you have beaten me without cheating!"

"With all due respect, you were rubbish!" Gina said laughing, "I beat you before you even started racing!"

"Oh, come off it!" Arthur argued, "I let you win!" Gina laughed even harder, almost falling off of Silas in the process.

"Oh, sire, as much as that is _hilarious_, you most definitely did NOT let me win!" Gina said, giggling hysterically.

Arthur sighed angrily, "Okay fine, but, one day, we're having a rematch, and I'm going to win, Georgina, mark my words..."

"I look forward to it!" Gina said, still chuckling.

* * *

"You know, I think it's strange how you've all accepted Gina so quickly," Merlin noted as he was giving Arthur his dinner later that night.

"If by 'accepted' you mean 'be severely annoyed at the fact that she takes pleasure in humiliating me' then, yes, I completely agree," Arthur said grudgingly.

"You said you liked her!"

"Yes, when I first met her!" Arthur protested, "Then she beat me in a race!"

"You're really going to hold that against her?" Merlin said disbelievingly.

Arthur sighed, "I guess not... I suppose it's good to know at least _one_ of you has some kind of talent..."

"Erm, hello? Sorcerer?! I am one?! Ring any bells?!" Merlin objected.

"Yes, but both of you can do that, Merlin," Arthur said dismissively, "Although I've yet to see Gina actually _use_ her magic..."

"She doesn't do it often," Merlin said quietly, "She's not very good at controlling it."

"Or using verbal spells," Arthur added. Merlin looked at him strangely, "What?" Arthur asked.

"You remember?" Merlin asked, sounding surprised.

"It was only yesterday, Merlin!" Arthur protested, "I don't just forget things within three seconds of hearing them!"

"Huh..." Merlin said thoughtfully, "You really _do_ like Gina, don't you?"

"I hope you realise that you're not making any sense. Not that that's anything out of the ordinary, but-"

"My point _is_ that that wasn't really part of the conversation... it was just thrown in. But you still remembered it." Merlin interrupted him.

"I found it strange, that's all!" Arthur insisted, "You two have magic but you don't use it in the ways I would have thought you would."

"Most of it isn't by choice," Merlin told him, "We can't just go around flaunting it about in the middle of a kingdom that would have us executed for it, can we? And Gina's still young; she hasn't quite got the hang of actually using it yet..."

"You seemed like a professional when you first arrived," Arthur muttered. Merlin rolled his eyes.

"_Anyway_, Gina spent time with the druids because our mother couldn't risk her being around when _my_ magic was out of control. If I got caught, she'd get caught with me, and then we'd all be in trouble. This way, Gina was safe... or, saf_er_ at least. But she was supposed to learn some things too. For some reason, her magic is just more... erratic than normal. Harder to use, harder to control."

"So much so that she can't manage it?" Arthur asked, "Isn't that a _bit_ dangerous?"

"She can keep it hidden," Merlin elaborated, "It's just actually using it that she finds difficult."

"Whatever, you both confuse me," Arthur said, tucking into the beef stew Merlin had just ladled into his bowl.

* * *

**Merlin**

Later that night, as Merlin was just about to leave Arthur's chambers after helping his royal pratness get ready for bed, a substantial amount of noise could be heard from the tombs below the castle.

"Merlin. Merlin!" Arthur yelled.

Merlin sighed, "Yes, sire?" he asked grudgingly, putting on his typical happy voice that never failed to wind Arthur up.

"Are you deaf?" Arthur questioned. The inescapable noise drifting into the room seemed to get louder around him.

"I wish..." Merlin said wistfully.

"I want you to go down there and tell them stop." Arthur ordered him. Merlin looked at Arthur as if he was mad.

"But, they're working under the King's orders!" Merlin insisted, not wanting to know what Uther would do to him if he so much as stepped a foot near his little treasure hunt.

"Yes..." Arthur agreed, and for a second Merlin thought Arthur was going to let him off. This was short lived however, "And you're working under mine."

* * *

**Yes! I'm finally drifting into the start of series 2! From now it's going to be canon-but-not-canon writing for me :3 With a little bit of original story lines and plot twists here and there! XD Pretty please review, they make me happy ^-^ Thanks for reading!**

**PurpleDragonKeeper123**


	5. The Curse of Cornelius Sigan - Part 1

**AN: **I apologise for the reasonably long wait for this chapter (although, by my standards, this is pretty early! XD). I've finally drifted into the world that is my version of canon Merlin.. well, canon for now *evil grin*.

I still don't own Merlin, blah blah blah, although Gina is MINE! Mine, mine and mine again :3 ENJOY!

* * *

**Gina**

The door to Gaius' chambers burst open just as Gina was falling asleep. She groaned as she reluctantly pulled herself out of bed to see what was going on.

She found Merlin panting in the doorway, Gaius looking at him with a surprised frown on his face.

"Gaius...man...tomb... death trap... need you...now!" Merlin uttered between gasping for breath,

"Merlin you're not making any sense!" Gaius exclaimed, "get your breath back, and _then_ explain."

"Yeah, and could you explain it slowly? I _have_ only just woken up," Gina said, yawning.

"Arthur-told me-to go-to tell the-workers-in the tombs-to stop-making-so much-noise." Merlin said, still panting, "I got there, and they-all ran out-screaming. I went to see-and there was- a man. A _dead _man. You've got to come and look!" he drifted towards the door.

"At least wait for me to get dressed!" Gina called back as she dashed back into her room, pushing the door shut behind her.

* * *

"How do you think he died?" Gina asked Gaius, doing her best not to look at the man, who had a look of pure terror etched into his now grey face. The way his eyes were stuck wide open was slightly unnerving.

Gaius didn't reply. "Gaius?" Gina asked. Gaius looked up, looking confused.

"Hmm?" he asked.

"Do you know who's tomb it is?" Merlin asked him.

"Not sure..." Gaius said, still distracted.

"Do you think it might be cursed?" Merlin questioned, looking around the room. Gina turned around from a set of beads she had just been looking at as Gaius stepped on one of the paving stones surrounding the tomb. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion as the stone sank slightly into the floor. A dart escaped from a stone bird's mouth heading straight towards Gaius.

Gina's magic seemed to act of its own accord as she lifted a plate up and magically threw it in front of Gaius. The dart slammed into it, and the three of them were frozen for a second as they took in what had just happened. Gina dropped the plate, and it clanged on the floor as she did so.

"You just saved my life!" Gaius said incredulously, "Thank you!"

"I'll take that as a 'yes' to Merlin's question then..." Gina muttered.

"...and keep it guarded at all times," Uther finished as he walked into the room. He looked around, a look of glee on his face, before his eyes rested on Gina.

"I don't believe we've met?" he asked her. Gina smiled, and, to anyone who knew her, she looked slightly nervous. To those who didn't know her, however, she looked not only calm, but confident as well.

"No, sire, we haven't," she said, nodding respectfully, "I'm Georgina, Merlin's sister..." she said, gesturing towards Merlin as she trailed off.

"Gina's staying in Camelot for a while," Arthur told his father, "I had the pleasure of going on a ride with her today. It was... interesting."

"Well, I hope you enjoy your stay in Camelot, Georgina." Uther said kindly. Gina found it hard to believe that this man could ever be heartless enough to kill anyone, let alone someone who couldn't help what they were born with. Then again, Merlin had been that he was someone he wasn't his whole life. Apparently, it was easily done.

"Well this is quite a find. You see, Gaius, I was right. There is treasure to be found under Camelot. Which of my predecessors do I have to thank for all this?" Uther asked, looking to his court physician, who still seemed distracted, "Gaius?" the King prompted again.

"Uh, I'd have to look into it, Sire." Gaius replied vaguely. Gina frowned. Despite only having met Gaius twice, and neither of those times had been for very long, she had deducted immediately that he wasn't someone who was easily flustered. And now, despite looking calm and collected on the outside, Gina could practically hear the thoughts rushing through his head. Uther glanced at the dead man on the floor.

"How did he die?" the King asked.

"He seems to have unwittingly triggered a trap here." Gaius said casually.

"To deter grave robbers." Arthur agreed. Uther nodded.

"Well there's plenty in here people would want to steal. Have them secure the tomb. Guarding it is your responsibility, Arthur." Arthur looked like he didn't know whether to be pleased or annoyed with his father's request.

"Yes, Father." He said. Uther left the room, and Arthur followed him, glancing at Merlin as he left to say 'I don't know if this was you or coincidence, but thank god the noise has stopped'. Merlin turned to her and grinned madly. Gina rolled her eyes and followed Arthur out.

"Seeing as I'm up," she called behind her, "Any chance of another demonstration from your book?" Merlin groaned.

"I'm shattered!" he protested, "Do you know how draining using that... gift is?!"

Gina groaned, "You're _so_ lazy!"

"At least you don't have to work for a Prince who likes throwing things at you so much it's practically a sport!" Merlin retorted.

"Merlin!" Gina begged. He sighed.

"_One_," he said, "I'm only doing it once!"

"Thank you, big brother!" she said somewhat triumphantly as she gave Merlin a hug and walked happily back down the passage.

As she reached the end, she trod on something that made a scraping sound against the stone floor. She picked up a small bronze disk, a bird of some sort embossed in the centre, words running around the edge.

"What's that?" Merlin asked coming up behind her.

"No idea," she said, shrugging.

"MERLIN!" Arthur's voice echoed down the tunnel, "I need you to help organise the guarding of the tomb! Hurry up!" Merlin groaned.

"I am _so_ not getting any sleep tonight..." he mumbled as he walked off.

"I'm guessing this means that I'm not getting a demonstration then?" Gina said, somewhat disappointed.

"Sorry, Gina." Merlin said, shrugging in a 'what can I do?' kind of way, "Duty calls."

"Destiny calls, more like," she said, smiling slightly. He rolled his eyes.

"One day, I'm going to give 'destiny' a good kick up the backside for keeping me up so late," he grumbled.

"I heard that!" Arthur called, "Now hurry up! Or I won't need a reason to kick _you_ up the backside!"

* * *

"Hurry up, Merlin!" Arthur said grumpily. He'd been up since the early hours of the morning making emergency arrangements to guard the tomb beneath the castle. Unluckily for his servant, Arthur had kept Merlin up for most of the night as well.

Unfortunately for both of them, there was a hunt planned for the day after, and neither of them was getting out of it.

This was what brought the two of them outside the castle in the courtyard, Merlin tacking up Arthur's horse whilst Arthur stood and watched as Gina came down the steps, smiling happily.

"Morning," she said.

"Good morning, Georgina," Arthur said, "How was your first night in Camelot?"

"More eventful and exciting than my nights with the druids have been," she said, smiling amusedly, "And I probably got a lot more sleep than you did. Is the tomb now fully guarded and under your command?"

"Yes," Arthur said, yawning as he did so, "Not that that matters if I'm too tired to care..." Merlin looked to be in a similar condition.

Gina had given the disc she'd found to Gaius, who had said that he'd look over it in the morning and see if it meant anything. She still found it strange, however, that all of the workers, and all of the guards down by the tomb had missed the disc, not a single one of them stepping on it, or picking it up.

She walked around to Merlin as he struggled to do the girth on Arthur's saddle up.

"You look like you're struggling," she commented as Merlin fiddling with the strap.

"I'm fine," he said , also yawning. He finally got the girth fitted. She raised her eyebrows. "What?!" he asked her, before yawning again.

"You did that half asleep," she said, laughing quietly, "Are you sure it's fitted right?"

"I could do it _whilst_ I'm asleep if I wanted to," he said, "I've done it often enough. Check it yourself if you don't believe me." He rolled his eyes as Gina did exactly as he said, and checked the girth critically.

"Huh," she said thoughtfully, "Maybe I'm not the star in the family when it comes to horses after all! Why couldn't you have done this for me when I was six?!"

"Because when you were six, I was trying not to have magical outbursts everywhere!" Merlin muttered quietly, making sure no one could overhear. The two of them walked back round to Arthur, who was waiting impatiently.

"Finished?" Arthur asked.

"Yep," Merlin said. Gina giggled hysterically as Merlin crouched down on his hands and knees so that Arthur could get on his horse. He glared at her, but the glare changed to a look of horror as they both heard a thump from the other side of the horse.

"MERLIN!" Arthur yelled, picking himself up off the floor.

"I... I don't understand!" Merlin exclaimed, examining the girth with was now hanging loose.

"Well, there's a surprise!" Arthur said sarcastically.

"I did that girth up myself!" Merlin argued.

"Well, I think that might have been the problem!" Arthur retorted angrily.

"No, he did do it," Gina inputted, "I checked it. It was fitted perfectly, there was no reason for it to break..."

"It wasn't my fault." Merlin agreed with his sister.

A man drifted over casually, watching the scene unfold. "Would you like me to fit the girth properly for you, Sire?" he asked as Arthur looked confusedly between Merlin and Gina.

"Thank you..." Arthur said awkwardly, not sure quite what to think.

"It's an honour to be of service to the Prince," the man replied. Gina and Merlin looked at him with identical glares fixed on their faces.

"An _honour_," Arthur said, looking at the man as if he was God's blessing to Earth, "Do you hear that, Merlin?"

"Allow me the honour of brushing your clothes down," the man continued, doing exactly that.

"_The honour_," Arthur whispered, looking at Merlin as if to say 'if I were you, I'd be taking notes'.

"I know it wasn't your fault," Gina assured Merlin quietly as the man brushed Arthur's clothes down.

"Hmm," Merlin said, "Thanks." The two of them were still glaring at the man when he started talking again.

"Anything else I can do for you, sire?"

"Well, you can give Merlin here a good kick up the backside," Arthur said, smiling evilly at his servant. Gina instinctively moved forward and to the left slightly so that she was positioned slightly in front of Merlin. He rested a hand on her arm, pushing her back again.

"I wouldn't wish to deprive you of the pleasure, sire," the man said chuckling.

"Ha!" Arthur laughed, "What's your name?"

"Cedric," the man replied, "I've come to Camelot in search of work."

Arthur nodded, "Good. You can be a beater on the hunt. We're short of a man or two."

"You're too kind, sire," Cedric replied. Arthur mounted his horse again as Merlin picked up a beating stick.

"Here. You'll need a beater," he thrust it at Cedric, causing him to double over, "Oh... sorry." He said, not sounding sorry at all. Gina laughed, giving Merlin a hug.

"Don't do anything stupid," she said, "And don't let Arthur or this Cedric person get to you."

"Yeah, well," Merlin sighed, "It seems like Arthur doesn't even know about my gift sometimes... like he forgets about all the times I've saved his life."

"But sometimes, he appreciates the fact that you're actually a great friend and a great protector," Gina said, "So stop feeling sorry for yourself. Go... kill some defenceless deer or something."

"Oh!" Merlin said sarcastically, "How fun!"

"Go!" Gina insisted, laughing, "And try not to get yourself killed!"

* * *

Gina bumped into Morgana on the way back to Gaius' chambers. It had occurred to her that the King's ward often drifted around the castle, normally with a distant look on her face. Today, however, she greeted Gina with a smile as she stood at the window looking over the courtyard.

"I see Arthur was being his normal idiotic self," Morgana commented as Gina approached.

"I wouldn't know about 'usual'," Gina said, "But certainly 'idiotic'."

"I don't know how Merlin puts up with him," Morgana said, "I'll be the first to say that I think Arthur has got increasingly annoying as he's got older."

"I think Merlin feels like he doesn't have a choice," Gina said, also looking out over the courtyard, "Destiny and everything... I find it amazing that he doesn't collapse under all the pressure!"

"You might have a destiny like that!" Morgana reminded her, "Something big and important... you never know. 'Living it' seems rather pointless if you ask me... how do you know if you're living your destiny?!"

"Morgana, you are making my brain tangle itself up in knots!" Gina laughed, "I may as well just live life how I want to until some measurably large threat comes along. I'm sure Merlin is going to need a hand at some point. I guess I'll just be there for him then, and deal with everything else if we survive."

"Such a positive approach," Morgana said derisively.

"It's better than confusing myself and constantly worrying if I'm living my life right!" Gina giggled. Morgana laughed.

"Well, I suppose you're right," she said, "But you're a braver girl than me, Gina."

* * *

When Gina made it back to Gaius' chambers, he was leaning over a book, the small bronze disk she had found the night before in his hand.

"Any use?" she asked.

"Hmm?" he said distantly, barely listening.

"I _said_ is it of any use?" Gina repeated.

"I'm not sure," Gaius said, "I'm looking into it... the bird and the writing could be some kind of... defining mark. Something to tell us who he was..." she took the disc from him, frowning as she looked at the writing around the edge.

"What language is this?" she asked.

"I don't know," Gaius said, taking the disk back, "I originally thought that it was the language of the old religion, but it isn't like anything I've ever seen written down."

"It just looks like a collection of squiggles to me," Gina said walking to fill a cup with water, "Have you seen the writing anywhere else?"

"Only on the tomb," Gaius said thoughtfully, "Perhaps another visit down there is in order..."

"Hmm," Gina said, sipping from her cup, "It sounds more fun than sitting around practicing my forbidden gift all day... probably more likely to give me some results too. Let's go."

* * *

**Merlin**

Merlin was bordering on furious as he traipsed back to Gaius' chambers after he'd got back from giving Arthur his dinner. He hated the 'Cedric' character they had met that morning more and more by the second. And, on top of it all, Cedric had taken all the credit when Merlin had, once again, saved Arthur's life, and the clotpole of a prince had believed him!

He opened the door to Gaius' chambers dejectedly, trying not to think about the fact that he hadn't been completely right when he'd thought that telling Arthur about his magic would have made life any better. In fact, sometimes he doubted whether it had changed anything at all.

He found Gina and Gaius sitting at the table as he swung his bag off. Gina frowned.

"What's wrong?" she asked as he came over.

"I saved Arthur's life, someone else got the credit," he told her, sighing, "Just the usual. What are you doing?"

"We found this inscription on the sceptre," Gaius told him, showing him a piece of parchment with writing on.

"What language is that?" Merlin asked.

"I don't know," Gaius said.

"It's the same as on this," Gina said, handing him a small disk with a bird embossed on it. Around the edge, writing was engraved, barely even visible.

"Sigan would have spoken many languages," Gaius told him.

"Sigan?" Merlin asked, completely confused.

"It's his tomb," Gaius explained further.

"Who's he?" Merlin asked, dragging a stool over to sit next to Gaius.

"The most powerful sorcerer to ever have lived, apparently." Gina said sceptically.

"Really?" Merlin asked.

"You didn't grow up in Camelot, but for those of us that did, Cornelius Sigan was a figure of nightmare," Gaius told him.

"Why?" Merlin questioned quietly, all thoughts of Cedric and what had happened on the hunt out of his mind.

"Story goes, Sigan's powers were so powerful he could change day into night, turn the tides, and legend has it, his spells helped build Camelot itself." Gina said, reeling off the information Gaius had told her earlier.

"What happened?"

"In the end he grew too powerful and the king at that time ordered his execution." Gaius said simply.

"If he's dead... why are you so worried?" Merlin asked, noticing the concerned look on Gaius' face.

"Sigan couldn't bear the thought that his wealth and power would die with him, so he became obsessed with finding a way to defeat death itself," Gaius explained. Gina, not having heard this part of the story, leaned forward slightly.

"You think he might have succeeded?" she asked, sounding slightly scared.

"Let's hope not," Gaius said gravely, "For all our sakes."

* * *

**So! What did you think? Reviews would be muchly appreciated ^-^**

**I just want to clarify ages in this story: When Merlin first gets to Camelot at the start of series 1, I imagined him to be about 15 years old. Therefore, now, at the start of series 2, he'd be 16 (ish). In series 1, I pictured Arthur to be 17, Gwen to be 16, and Morgana to be around 19. Therefore, they are now 18, 17 and 20 respectively. **

**If a coming of age celebration is to happen at the age of 21, this would place Morgana's coming of age festival to be at the very beginning of series 3, and Arthur's to be in the gap between series 3 and 4. This means that Arthur is not yet of age, as I wanted to write that chapter myself with a bit more of a twist, so I've made my imagination fit the story.**

**I hope that made as much sense to you as it did to me.. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, please review, and I'll try and update a.s.a.p.**

**PurpleDragonKeeper123**


	6. The Curse of Cornelius Sigan - Part 2

**AN: **Another chapter already! I think I'm getting into the swing of things now! I thought I'd throw in a bit of Morgana at the beginning here, just because she doesn't appear much for a while afterwards. Hopefully I'll have another chapter up by tomorrow, if not then later this week, homework permitting (being on the Gifted and Talented register isn't fun you know!).

I still don't own Merlin.. If I did, then it would still be on BBC1 every Saturday.. Enjoy!

* * *

**Morgana**

When Morgana woke late the next morning, she was still shaky from the nightmare she had had to endure in the middle of the night. Gwen had, of course, rushed to her side, claiming that there was nothing to be scared of. But only Morgana herself knew exactly how significant the dream had been.

"What was this dream about?" Gaius asked when he came to visit her later that morning.

"A bird." Morgana told him, the very thought of her dream sending a shiver down her spine.

"What kind of bird?" he looked concerned, as he always did when matters regarding Morgana came to him. He had been treating her since she was a small child, and so felt somewhat responsible for her.

"A raven."

"A raven?" he sounded shocked, scared even as he repeated what Morgana had said.

"It was terrifying, Gaius. What do you think it means?" she begged for answers.

"Probably nothing." He said vaguely, but his previous shock and his now dark, thoughtful expression told her otherwise.

"It's happening again, isn't it?" she said, tears forming in her eyes. It had been months since she had had a nightmare like this one.

"Morgana, one raven doesn't mean that your nightmares are returning. Are you taking the sleeping draughts I prepared for you? I'll get Gwen to give you something stronger." Morgana chuckled lightly, knowing perhaps more than Gaius did; whilst her nightmares may well not be returning, it was definitely not a normal nightmare.

"Like a blow to the head?" she asked humorously, "I'm sure she wants to!" Gaius chuckled, before leaving Morgana alone.

* * *

**Gina**

Gina wandered the castle for almost half an hour searching for Merlin, before giving up and going down to the stables. There, however, she found exactly what she was searching for, along with an unwanted guest.

Merlin, apparently asleep in a pile of horse dung, was laying on the floor, as Cedric tried to undo the horses' reins.

"What _are_ you doing?!" Gina snapped angrily at him.

"Oh, just, er... making sure the horses are all... tied up... properly." He stammered. Gina glared at him.

"Get out." she said. When he didn't move, Silas gave him a nudge, sending him stumbling forward and onto the ground. He scrambled up and ran from the stables. As soon as he was out of sight Gina ran over to Merlin, kicking a small, round grey package as she did so. She looked at it curiously for a second, before crouching down next to her brother.

"Merlin?" she nudged him worriedly. When he snored, she nudged him again, "Merlin!" she said more forcefully.

"Wha-" he lifted his head up confusedly, "What happened?"

"Cedric, of course," Gina said, frowning angrily, "I don't know what his game is, but I don't like it. Especially not when I find you sprawled on the ground with your face covered in horse dung. What are you doing out here anyway?"

"Not mucking out the horses, I know that for sure!" a voice from the doorway startled them both. Merlin practically launched himself to him feet.

"I wasn't doing anything," Merlin said hastily.

"Yes, I can see that!" Arthur said angrily, "Cedric tells me that you've been like this for the best part of an hour!"

"I... I... that's not true!" Merlin protested.

"Sire, I don't suppose Cedric has told you Merlin's side of the story, has he?" Gina asked coldly, glaring at the cowardly man who was hovering in the doorway.

"And what would that be?" Arthur asked, perhaps a little more forcefully than was necessary.

"I came looking for Merlin earlier this morning. When I couldn't find him, I came down here, planning on going out for a ride, and, when I got here, I found Merlin on the floor unconscious, which I'm _sure_wasn't by choice, and I found Cedric," she practically spat the name out, glaring at the man, "Trying to untie all of the horses."

Arthur turned to Cedric, "Is this true?" Cedric's eyes widened.

"N-no sire!" he said desperately, "I could never do such a thing!" Arthur frowned turning back to Gina.

"You can believe either of us, but you know a secret of mine that barely anyone knows. Consider how much I have to trust you for you to know that, and then think about how much trust you should award me in return."

Arthur looked like he was arguing with himself as he looked between Gina and Cedric again.

"Sire, if I may?" Cedric asked. Arthur nodded, "Perhaps Gina is just trying to protect her brother?"

"Oh, for the love of sanity..." Gina muttered angrily, "My brother doesn't need protecting!"

"Agreed," Merlin murmured.

"Gina, as much as I want to believe you... one mistake I can understand, but this last couple of days it's just been one thing after another!"

"I've told you," Merlin argued, "I don't know what happened!"

"Yes, and that's the second time in two days that this has happened, Merlin!" Arthur protested loudly, "When am I supposed to draw the line?!"

"Sire. Please, Sire, don't be too hard on him. He's a good servant, he just...he's tired." Cedric said, putting on a very convincing 'I feel sorry for you' voice.

"I am not!" Merlin objected.

"Maybe...maybe if he had the evening off..." Cedric continued.

"Oh for goodness sakes..." Gina muttered.

"I don't want the evening off." Merlin said.

"A good night's rest..."

"He did not fall asleep!" Gina snapped.

"I'm more than willing to take over his duties tonight." Cedric finished, ignoring Gina's comment.

Arthur looked between Merlin and Gina, looking at the furious looks on their faces. "Perhaps you're right," he said.

"No." Merlin said disbelievingly.

"Shut up, Merlin," Arthur said angrily. Gina caught his eye, and a look of sadness, anger and hurt crossed her face. The look she received back was firm but sympathetic.

"Can't you see what he's trying to do? He's trying to get rid of me, and if you weren't such a clotpole, you'd see that!" Merlin said. Gina sighed, frowning at her brother's choice of words.

"A what?" Arthur said after a moment of silence.

"Clotpole, he... he said clotpole." Cedric said quietly.

"Cedric's right," Arthur said decisively, "He can look after me tonight. _You_ can go home and think about whether you want to be my servant or not."

"But-" Merlin started.

"Go!" Arthur yelled. Merlin looked at him for a second, before leaving the stables. Gina started walking away, but stopped a few feet in front of Arthur, turning around to face him again.

"You know very well that Cedric _can't_ look after you tonight, Arthur," she said, "Not how Merlin can anyway. Maybe you should consider getting your own priorities right before patronising those who are on your side." And with that she ran from the stables, leaving Arthur gaping behind her.

* * *

Gina caught up with Merlin just before he got into Gaius' chambers. Instead of trying to talk to him, she just followed him in, sending Gaius a look warning him to keep his distance. Gaius looked at her questioningly before talking.

"What's that on your face?"

"Nothing." Merlin said bluntly.

"What's wrong?" Gaius asked.

"Nothing." Merlin said.

"_Merlin_." Gina said reprimandingly, knowing that Gaius was only trying to help. Merlin ignored her and continued up the steps and into his room, slamming the door behind him.

"What happened?" Gaius asked quietly as Gina filled a bowl with water and grabbed a cloth.

"I'll explain later," she said, "It's a bit of a long story."

She considered knocking before going in, but figured that it was her room now as well, and so just walked in. Merlin was sitting on the edge of his bed, his head in his hands. He didn't look up until she'd dragged a stool next to his bed and started wiping the dung off of what little of his face she could reach between his hands.

"I'm not an idiot." He said, taking his hands away from his face.

"I know," she said, wetting the cloth again.

"I just want Arthur to trust me. I want him to realise that everything I do is for him!"

"He knows that, Merlin," she said, sighing, "And, one day, he'll reward you for it. One day it'll all be worthwhile."

"When?! Everything I do for him, all of the times I risk my own life to save his, and he just thinks I'm an idiot."

"Listen to me," she said, dropping the cloth in the bowl and taking his hands in her's, looking right into his deep blue eyes, "Destiny is a big word, and it holds a _lot_ of meaning. You can't run away from your destiny Merlin. If yours is to protect Arthur and to help him bring magic back to the kingdom and unite the lands of Albion, then that's going to happen. The word 'destiny' holds a lot more than you think. It's just going to take a while for Arthur to fully realise the extent of how much he needs you in his life." Merlin sighed.

"Besides," Gina continued, "Not everyone thinks you're an idiot. Although, now probably isn't the best time to be saying that..." she said, once again washing the dung off his face. He chuckled slightly, "Now isn't the right time to be questioning things, big brother. You and Arthur are destined for greatness, but that's only going to work out if you look after him."

"It's hard." Merlin said, sounding a lot younger than he was.

"I know," Gina said, "But Camelot is in danger. You remember I said that I was looking for you earlier?" Merlin nodded, "I was trying to find you to tell you that Gaius had translated the inscription."

* * *

**Merlin**

Merlin hurriedly washed the rest of the dung off his face, before following Gina back out to where Gaius was still sitting at the table. Merlin nodded his apologies to Gaius, he smiled slightly.

"Could you tell him what the inscription says Gaius?" Gina asked, sitting down at the table.

"'He who breaks my heart completes my work'," Gaius said, looking at Merlin over the top of his glasses.

"What does it mean?" Merlin asked.

"You remember the stone in the tomb? How it glowed?"

"Yeah. I've never seen a jewel like it." Merlin said.

"That's because it's not a jewel," Gina said gravely, "It's the soul of Cornelius Sigan." Merlin's eyes widened.

"You think he's alive?" he asked, shocked.

"I don't know about him," Gina said, "But his soul certainly did."

"In order to truly live, a soul needs a body," Gaius said.

"So, if the stone is removed from its setting," Merlin said, trying to figure it out in his head, "then the heart is broken and the soul is released?"

"That is what I fear," Gaius agreed.

"Who would do such a..." Merlin trailed off, looking across to his sister. The same thought struck them both at the same time.

"Cedric."

* * *

Merlin woke next morning to Gaius knocking on the door.

"Merlin!" he said sharply, "Georgina! Someone's broken into the tomb. Come, we must hurry." Merlin groaned as he rolled out of bed, but Gina was already up and about, disappearing behind the screen in the corner to change.

"Hurry up, Merlin!" she said, somewhat cheerfully, "This is your chance to prove to Arthur that you're not an idiot."

"I doubt it'll make any difference," Merlin said negatively.

"Oh, come on, Merlin," she said brightly, "You'll prove him wrong, and then he'll have to forgive you so that he doesn't have to say that he was wrong!"

"There's nothing to forgive!" Merlin said, "I didn't _do_ anything, remember?"

"You _did_ call him a clotpole," Gina said giggling.

"Well, I didn't do anything that he didn't deserve, then," Merlin said.

* * *

"Sound the warning bells," Arthur said, leaving the tomb. He glanced towards Merlin, "Could there be... you know what involved?" Merlin, apparently shocked by Arthur even talking to him, let alone asking for help, took a second to answer.

"I doubt it," Merlin said, "There are few spells that could open that lock without leaving any signs." Arthur nodded in recognition, before leaving the tomb.

"Well," Gina said cheerfully, "That was awkward!"

"Hmm," Gaius said, examining the cavity in the stone where Sigan's soul had once resided, "Whoever did this got more than they bargained for.

"How did they get in?" Gina asked, examining the lock on the gate, "This lock's not even damaged."

"They must have used a key," Gaius said.

"Arthur's got the only key," Merlin told him.

"Where does he keep it?" Gina asked.

"On his belt, with the others," Merlin said immediately.

"Does he ever take it off?" Gaius questioned.

"Only when he's asleep. He keeps it next to his bed."

"Who had access to his chambers last night?" Gaius asked desperately.

"Only me. And..." Once again, Merlin and Gina looked at each other.

"Cedric," they said simultaneously.

* * *

**Arthur**

It was safe to say that Arthur was having a _really_ bad day. First of all, the tomb that he was in charge of guarding had been broken into. On top of that, the biggest jewel in the place had disappeared. And, on top of _that_, Merlin still hadn't returned to work. Even after an argument, this was unusual for him.

So, when Merlin _did_ eventually turn up in his chambers, Arthur was expecting something of the lines of 'You were right, I'm sorry, can I please have my job back?'. What he was _not _expecting...

"Cedric is possessed by an evil spirit."

Arthur frowned, unable to process what Merlin had just said, "What?!"

"He tried to steal the jewel, but it wasn't a jewel, it was a soul of an ancient sorcerer, Sigan." Merlin babbled.

"Merlin, have you been on the cider?" Arthur asked, looking at his servant (although it seemed like he would not be bestowed with that title for much longer...) as if he was mad.

"Please, listen to me. Camelot is in mortal danger. Sigan is using Cedric's body to take his revenge!" Merlin insisted.

"This nonsense isn't helping you keep your job..." Arthur said wearily.

"You are _not listening to me_!" Merlin said angrily.

"Not helping yourself keep your job, but you're going to shout anyway? Cedric! Will you escort Merlin from the palace?" Arthur said, angered by his now ex-servant's outburst. How dare waltz in and assume that Arthur was just going to believe him without any proof?!

But the last thing he expected to Merlin to actually throw a punch. Arthur was constantly saying that Merlin was the biggest girl he'd ever met; even Morgana was tougher than him at points. He'd always said that Merlin should play to his strengths: magic, and being the prince's personal servant. Fighting, of any and all shapes and forms, were _not_ Merlin's strong points.

However, to give him some credit, he did manage to hold his weight in a fight against Cedric.

Not that that Changed Arthur's current opinion of him at all.

"You've gone too far this time, Merlin! You can spend a few days cooling off in the cells! Guards!" he snapped, standing between Merlin and Cedric as the guards rushed into the room and dragged Merlin away.

"He's going to destroy Camelot!" Merlin yelled as Arthur followed him out the door.

* * *

**Ta da! What did you think? Reviews are appreciated! I actually really enjoyed the heart-to-heart between Gina and Merlin in the middle there.. might do some more of that :) Like I said, I'd love some feedback, so reviews, good or bad, are welcomes. Thanks for reading!**

**PurpleDragonKeeper256**


	7. The Curse of Cornelius Sigan - Part 3

**AN: **I'll upload later this evening I said. If not, later this week I said. That was TWO WEEK AGO! I'm a terrible author. I'm sorry! However, this chapter is stupidly long to make up for it! Yay! I still don't own Merlin blahdy blah blah blah... Enjoy!

* * *

**Arthur**

Chaos was soaring through the city, sending people fleeing from Camelot from creatures that Arthur had no doubt were conjured using sorcery.

"I don't know what this creature is, where it's come from." Uther said, baffled by the sudden attack. Once Arthur had seen for himself what was happening, he had rushed to the council chambers, knowing that his father would call an emergency meeting.

"There's more than one, Father," Arthur said gravely, "We've had several reports. There's panic in the lower town. People are fleeing the city."

"Then you must hunt these creatures down and kill them." His father told him immediately.

"Yes, Sire." Arthur rushed from the room, wondering how on earth he was going to destroy a magical creature without the help of his magic servant.

_Oh, Merlin_, he thought, kicking himself for not listening to his friend earlier, _why does my life always seem to end up in your hands?!_

He rushed down the corridor, almost knocking Gina flying as she ran in the opposite direction.

"Arthur!" she said desperately, "Two things: number one is you're a complete _clotpole_ for putting my brother in the cells. The second is _get him out right now._"

"Where do you think I'm running to?!" he asked her, shaking his head, "I may be a 'clotpole' but I'm not a complete _idiot_, Georgina!"

"Oh," she said, grinning suddenly, "Brilliant! Well, come on then, what are you waiting for?!"

"For you to stop talking?" he said amusedly. Gina rolled her eyes, grabbed his hand and dragged him in the direction of the cells.

On their way down, several guards going up to help with the protection of the city passed them. Arthur's men were outside, ready to head into the lower town to fight off the creatures. But Arthur wasn't ready yet.

"Merlin?" Gina called out, clutching Arthur's hand. When he didn't answer, Gina looked at Arthur worriedly, "What if one got down here?"

"No chance," he assured her, "the guards would have stopped it, her cleared his throat, "MERLIN!"

"Arthur?!" Merlin's voice echoed down the now empty corridor. Gina rushed forward to a cell on the left.

"Merlin!" she said, relief all too obvious in her voice, "I thought Sigan had got you! Why didn't you answer me?!"

"Sorry, listening to outside... doesn't sound good." He said, grimacing.

Arthur fished a key from his belt, "Next time you're going to tell me that my new servant is a sorcerer, try hitting me round the head until I see sense," he said wearily.

"Don't think that I won't take you up on that," Merlin said, glaring at him, "There are rats in here you know. _Rats._"

"Stop being such a baby," Gina said, "Arthur needs your help."

"Why can't you help him?" Merlin asked. Arthur sighed.

"Not the time," he grumbled, "Argue about who can and can't do what after we've dealt with whatever these things are."

"They're Sigan's pets," Gina said, "Now we've established that, Merlin: any clever ideas? Preferably in magic form, but I'm not too fussy at the moment."

"Okay..." he said, pacing, "Arthur, you go and hold off these things for as long as possible. Gina, help Gaius with the casualties. I'm going to go and talk to the annoying ass of a dragon that lives under the castle..."

"Oh, I see," Arthur said, rolling his eyes, "Gina and I get the hard work whilst you go and hide in the depths of the castle. Charming."

"Shut up, you know why I'm doing it," Merlin said, jogging towards the stairs, "I have magic, I don't know everything! And if anyone can give me answers, he can!"

"As cryptic as he may be..." Gina commented dryly, "Come on; let's go before those things _do_ get down here."

* * *

**Morgana**

"We need more bandages, Gwen." Gaius said as Morgana approached, helping to tend to a man who had just been brought in, "You shouldn't be doing this." He said, looking at her sternly.

"It's exactly what I should be doing!" she protested.

"You need rest, Morgana." Gaius insisted.

"And I'm likely to get it with all this going on." She retorted sarcastically.

"Morgana!" Gina said, running in, "What's happening?"

"What, apart from the creatures destroying the city? I'm helping Gaius," she said, smiling.

"Great, how can I help?" Gina asked.

"You can go over there," Gaius said, pointing to one of the knights, "And clean the wound on his arm."

"What's his name?" Gina asked, taking the cloth and bowl of water from Gaius.

"That's Sir Carter isn't it?" Morgana asked Gaius, who nodded, "He used to fancy me..."

"It's probably best that I deal with him instead of you then," Gina said laughing.

"Oh, Gina!" Morgana called her back, "Is Merlin still in the cells?"

"No, he's trying to get some answers from... a friend." Gina said. Morgana understood her caution; it would not do well to mention the words 'Great Dragon' in a room full of injured knights.

"But... he's okay?" Morgana asked.

"Perfectly fine last I saw him," Gina assures her. Morgana sighed.

"And Arthur?" she asked. Gina frowned.

"Fine, but getting ready to go out and face those things," she said. Morgana sighed worriedly, praying that Arthur came back safely.

* * *

**Arthur**

Arthur was well and truly shocked by the sights before him. The beastly creatures had slaughtered almost half of the residents of the lower town, and many of his own knights had been killed in the battle against them.

"Regroup!" he yelled to his men, as the creature came down in front of them, "Low fight!"

As the creature advanced towards them, knights tried and failed to kill the creature with their spears and swords. Arthur leapt forward, doing his best to at least wound the creature. But it was as if the thing was invincible, and it just kept coming back for more.

As his men fought alongside him, several were thrown away, landing heavily on the ground and not moving again.

As he leapt forward once again, throwing his sword forward with so much force it was a surprise that he hadn't released the handle already.

Just seconds later the creature's claws knocked him flying, and he hit the stone floor with a sickening thud. Pain radiated from the left side of his chest, and his body ached all over from the intensity of the fall.

His eyes closed as he made a final prayer for his life: _come on, Merlin!_

As his eyes opened again, he saw the creature diving through the air straight towards him. Before he could even try to roll out of the way, he was tugged from the creature's path, and it flew angrily away, squawking furiously.

He looked around to look at his rescuer, expecting to see one of the knights, but instead seeing Gwen, who was looking up at the skies nervously.

"Guinevere?" he managed to utter through his surprise.

"Sire." Gwen acknowledged, apparently not aware that Arthur was actually her boyfriend and that there were no knights around.

"That thing could've killed you!" Arthur exclaimed, scrambling up to stand in front of her. He was therefore oblivious to the creature, which once again tried to attack, this time from behind.

"And it still might!" Gwen said "Sorry, Sire." Gwen said awkwardly.

"No. My pleasure." Arthur said. Gwen went to stand up, but he pulled her down again. "It's been too long since we spent some quality time together, Guinevere," he said quietly.

"We were together three days ago, Arthur," Gwen said quietly, looking at him disapprovingly, "And I hope you realise that if anyone happens to be watching this..."

"Right now, I don't care," he said, pressing his lips to her's, "I have just suffered a near-death experience, after all," he continued, "And my head _really_ isn't in the right place..."

"Arthur!" Gwen scolded half-heartedly, "_You_ are injured, and now is not the time to be doing _this_..."

"You're right, of course you are," Arthur said nodding, kissing her again anyway.

When Gwen eventually managed to get Arthur back into the castle, Gina came rushing over.

"What happened?!" she demanded, "Where's Merlin?!"

"Great question," Arthur murmured.

"I'll get something to stop the bleeding," Gwen said, rushing off.

"Are you okay?" Gina asked him worriedly.

"Fine," Arthur ensured, "Barely even a scratch."

"Liar," Gina accused, "But I'll take it for now." She said as Gwen returned and began fussing over Arthur.

"You know, Guinevere," he said quietly, "You always surprise me."

"Is that so, sire?" she asked, her voice formal but Arthur could see right through it to the smile underneath.

"Indeed," Arthur confirmed, "Oh, and, er... thank you. For saving my life."

"My pleasure," Gwen said, smiling, "We can't have the crown prince of Camelot being attacked, now, can we?"

"Arthur?!" Uther said, rushing over, apparently worried for his son's safety.

"It's nothing." Arthur insisted again, more annoyed that his conversation with Gwen had been interrupted than anything else.

"Have we driven the creatures out?" Uther asked, noting the prince's hints telling him not to fuss.

"They have control of the lower town," Arthur told him reluctantly, wishing it wasn't true, "The market has been all but destroyed."

"How many dead?" Uther's voice was detached and distant; his 'lord and ruler' voice as Arthur and Morgana had often called it.

"Too many to number," Arthur told him, the imaged of the mixture of villagers and knights laying dead in the street drifting through his mind.

Uther seemed consider for a moment, before once again turning to his son, "I'm sealing the citadel." Arthur's eyes widened.

"You can't!" he exclaimed, not believing his father's supposed flippancy at letting his citizens die.

"I have no choice," Uther told him, "I have to protect those who have a chance! If I don't we will all fall!" Arthur stood up, not even bothering to listen to his father's ridiculous tirade for any longer.

"Where are you going?!" Uther demanded.

"There are people trapped on the drawbridge." Arthur said simply, unsheathing his sword.

"I forbid you!" Uther exclaimed. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Gina watching with a frown. She caught his eye with a look on her face that clearly said 'are you about to do something idiotic?'. He sent her a look back: 'I'll be fine'. She grimaced.

"Be careful," she mouthed to him. He nodded.

"I'm not leaving them to die." He told his father.

"It's suicide!" Uther begged.

"It is my duty to Camelot!" Arthur said, his voice raising to a shout, "And to myself!" he added as an afterthought.

As he charged back out into the courtyard with what few men he had left, the singular thought on his mind was that this was mostly his fault.

And that was what drove him into battle.

* * *

**Merlin**

"Hello?" Merlin called out, peering through the darkness trying to spot the dragon. After a few moments of silence, the sound of beating wings echoed through the catacomb, and the dragon landed on the rocks before him.

"Back again, young warlock?" he asked amusedly, "This is the second time in a few days that you have come for my assistance. And it was just a few weeks ago that you swore that I would never lay eyes on you again!"

"I'm not here for myself," Merlin said, gritting his teeth with anger, the memories of how his mother had been caught up in his destiny returning to his once again, "And last time I came for my sister. I am here for Arthur."

"Arthur's path lies with yours. You made it clear that you do not walk in step with me. As for your sister, it is up to you whether the direction that her path leads is closer or further away from your own." The dragon said cryptically. The comment about Gina shocked him somewhat, but Merlin's mind was too preoccupied by the current danger to pay it much attention.

"You cannot want Cornelius Sigan to win," Merlin insisted, "You're not evil!" _Not completely evil anyway... _he thought to himself.

"At least Sigan knows where his loyalties lie!" the dragon retorted, "You have shown that you do not."

"So you will let Camelot fall?!" Merlin demanded.

"I did not say that." The dragon protested.

"So you'll help me?" Merlin asked hopefully.

"To defeat Sigan, you will need a spell more powerful than anything you know."

"Please," Merlin begged, "I _have_ to try."

"Very well," the dragon sighed, "But you must give me something in return."

_Oh, great,_ Merlin thought, _because it really __**is**__ impossible for him to do something that won't benefit him in the slightest..._

"What?" Merlin asked.

"A promise." Merlin frowned.

"A promise?" he asked. It seemed... a small price to pay.

Too small a price apparently, "That one day, you will free me," the dragon said.

"If I release you," Merlin asked, considering his options; they currently didn't look to be playing out well for him, "What will you do?"

"That is not of your concern," Kilgharrah stated bluntly.

"I don't trust you." Merlin shouted bluntly.

"Nevertheless, you must promise, or Camelot will fall," the dragon replied. The tone of his voice was unmistakably sly; it hit Merlin that the dragon was actually blackmailing him. And he had no choice but to submit.

"I promise." Merlin said seriously, "Now, please, give me the spell!"

* * *

**Gina**

Gina couldn't stop pacing as the sounds of battle outside echoed in her mind.

"Gina, please stand still, you're not only making me even more worried, you're also making me dizzy!" Gwen begged.

"Sorry," Gina said, leaning against a pillar, "I'm just... freaking out a bit. Merlin should have been back by now, and so should Arthur. What was he thinking?"

"He wasn't thinking," Morgana said, "He never _does_ think before he acts. That's why he appears to have a death wish."

The doors of the hall burst open and the few remaining knights practically fell in.

"Seal the doors!" one of the yelled.

"Where's Arthur?!" Uther asked desperately, "Where is he?! You can't leave him out there, he'll be torn apart!" Uther roared, launching himself at the doors. The knights forced him back, the knight who had ordered the doors to be sealed trying to make the King see sense.

"You can't go out there, Sire! If you open that door, you will die! We will all die!"

Gina watched on, a look of terror on her face. As Uther fought against the knights.

"No!" he yelled, as Morgana watched, her eyes wide, and Gina's mind thought at a hundred times its normal speed.

"I have to do something," she muttered to Morgana and Gwen.

"What do you mean... Gina!" Morgana shouted after her as Gina dashed out of the doors and into the courtyard.

She looked around, desperately searching for Arthur as the doors behind her slammed shut. She spotted Arthur on the other side of the courtyard, lying unconscious on the ground, as a creature swooped down to finish him off.

Gina desperately tried to remember a spell to get rid of the creature, but her mind stubbornly refused to lift so much as a finger to help her.

She screamed in frustration and flung her hand at the creature, letting her magic flow free. A burst of purple light shot at the creature, and it exploded into a thousand pieces, which flew across the courtyard. Gina panted slightly, as she looked around warily.

"Who would have thought it!" a voice echoed from the left of the courtyard, "You! A sorceress! And a powerful one!"

Gina glared at the place Sigan's voice had come from. "Words cannot describe the hatred I feel towards you right now," she told him, walking slowly down the steps. Sigan stepped out of the shadows.

"Now, now," he said patronisingly, "'Hate' is such a strong word..."

"I strongly dislike you," I say, "I prefer to think of 'hate' as an appropriate word right now."

* * *

**Merlin**

Just as Sigan was going to reply, Merlin came running into the courtyard.

"Ah! Brother and sister reunited for their final battle! How... touching!" Sigan said, laughing

maniacally. Merlin and Gina both ran to Arthur whilst Sigan was distracted.

"Please tell me you have a plan?" Gina begged as Merlin checked that Arthur was still alive.

"Not so much of a plan," he said, sighing in relief as he found a pulse, "I have a spell."

"Great," Gina muttered, "A spell, he says. I'm going to take a guess and say that this is a spell that you've never done before?"

"Your guess would be right," Merlin agreed, "But the dragon's helping me."

"Oh! The dragon that you said is double crossing and manipulative?! That makes me feel so reassured!" Gina growled sarcastically.

"If you two are quite finished chatting," Sigan said, sounding bored, "I'd very much like to get our dearest prince out of the way..."

"We won't let you hurt him." Gina said, standing protectively in front of Arthur.

"Agreed." Merlin said, standing next to her.

"And how are you going to stop me, _Mer_lin?" Sigan asked, mimicking the way Arthur said Merlin's name when he was annoyed at his servant, "Unless... oh! You both have a few tricks up your sleeves!"

"Yes, yes, we both have magic, I think we've established that," Gina snapped, "We _will_ stop you."

"This awful excuse of a prince doesn't deserve your loyalty, Merlin," Sigan said, ignoring Gina completely, "He treats you like a slave!"

"That's not true." Merlin argued.

"He cast you aside without a moment's thought!" Sigan continued.

"That doesn't matter now!" Merlin protested, "He admitted that I was right about you. _That's_ what matters. He has faith in me when it counts."

"But it must hurt so much to be so put upon, so overlooked, even when he knows all that you do for him!" Sigan said slyly.

"Maybe that's the way it has to be." Merlin said dejectedly.

"Does it? You're young, Merlin. You have yet to discover your true power. Even over your sister, you hold such immense power that you could change her life in a second. Join me, Merlin. I can help you! I can help the world appreciate your greatness. Everyone can see you for who you truly are!"

"That can never be," Merlin said firmly, "Not whilst Uther is so set against magic."

"It can, if you join me. Together we can rule over this land! Uther and Arthur will tremble at your voice, kneel at your feet!"

"I don't want that!" Merlin told him.

"You'd rather be a servant?"

"Better to serve a good man than to rule with an evil one." Merlin said simply.

"So be it. If you will not join me, I will become you and your power will be harnessed to my will." Sigan said evilly.

"Merlin, that spell would be _really_ useful right now!" Gina said desperately, clinging to her brother's arm.

"Whatever happens, don't come near me unless the crystal is blue," Merlin told her, "Whatever happens, don't even talk to me. The crystal _has_ to be blue, have you got that?" Gina nodded, as a blue mist left Cedric's body, which hit the ground and moved to more.

The mist moved towards Merlin as he muttered the spell the dragon had given him, "Ic þín sáwol hér beléac, abide þæt ic þé álíese!"

* * *

**Gina**

Gina watched on in horror as Merlin fell to the ground and was engulfed by the mist.

"Gina?" Gaius' voice startled her, "What's happening?!"

"He... he used a spell..." she trailed off, the mist clearing slightly as Merlin emerged, "Merlin?" she asked cautiously. He stared at her for a moment, before grinning madly, holding up the now blue crystal.

Gina laughed and launched herself at him. He wrapped his arms around her as Gaius approached them both. As Gina released her brother, Gaius also gave Merlin a hug.

"Well done, my boy," he praised him.

Behind the three of them, Arthur groaned again.

"What happened?" he asked, rubbing his head.

"You were a prat on a suicide mission, that's what happened," Gina told him.

"Sigan? Is he..." Arthur glanced between the stone in Merlin's hand and Cedric's dead body, "Sigan's dead... brilliant."

"Arthur!" Uther bellowed as the doors burst open and the king came running out, Morgana hot on his heels.

"Oh for the love of sanity..." Arthur muttered.

"You're alive, you're really..." Uther hugged his son gratefully, "How did you survive?!"

"Ask Merlin and Gina," Arthur said, smiling smugly at the two in question, gladly passing on the burden of explaining the situation, "I was unconscious for the whole thing, but those two seem very much awake to me."

Uther turned to the two of them, and Merlin and Gina glanced at each other, eyes wide.

"Well, you see..." Merlin started, searching for a rational explanation. He spotted a large piece of rock laying right next to Cedric's body, "I was trying to keep the creature away from Arthur, so I didn't notice Sigan coming up behind me. But Gina noticed, so she... threw that rock," he gestured to the stone, "At Sigan, and knocked him unconscious. The force of the blow knocked his spirit out of Cedric's body, and back into the stone it came from. Cedric's body had been dead from the second Sigan's soul entered it so... yes." Merlin said, holding up the crystal to show Uther.

The King turned to Gina, "You and your brother saved my son's life," he said seriously, "And for that I am eternally grateful. You must be rewarded!"

"Oh, sire, there's really no need-" Gina started.

"Nonsense!" Uther interrupted her.

"Gina could help Gwen and I, if she'd like," Morgana offered. Gina sighed in relief; helping Morgana would surely be a lot more entertaining than what Merlin had received as a reward for saving Arthur's life.

"I'd very much like that!" she said hurriedly. Uther nodded thoughtfully.

"Very well, then," he said, "You shall be Morgana's maid... well, one of her maids."

"Thank you, sire," Gina said smiling happily.

"Thank _you_, Gina," Uther said, "And to you Merlin. For saving my son, once again."

"Happy to be of service, sire." Merlin said.

"Now, if you'll excuse us," Uther said, helping Arthur to his feet. Merlin, Gina, Gaius and Gwen nodded respectfully as the King helped his son walk back to the castle. Morgana smiled after them.

"I'm starting to think Uther like you, you know," Morgana said quietly to Gina, "He actually said _thank you_. That is an extremely rare occurrence."

"I feel so honoured!" Gina said sarcastically, "Merlin made the whole thing up! He was the one who saved the day, not me!"

"You got rid of the creature," Merlin protested, "But please don't let your magic free-flow again!"

"Free-flow?" Morgana questioned.

"It's hard to control and basically just sends bursts of magic here there and everywhere," Gina explained, "But I had it under control."

"I'll believe that when I see it," Merlin muttered, "First thing tomorrow we're starting magic lessons."

"I can't," Gina said, grinning, "I have a job to do."

"Sitting around gossiping whilst you tidy Morgana's chambers isn't a job!" Merlin argued.

"Hush, Merlin, your sister managed to get a job without getting put in the stocks by her employer first," Gaius said chuckling, "By your standards, that's quite the achievement!"

"Arthur put you in the stocks?!" Gina said, laughing hysterically as the four of them walked back towards the castle, "That is _priceless_!"

"Thanks for that Gaius..." Merlin muttered.

* * *

Later that night, Gina was laying in bed, once again thinking too hard to sleep.

"Merlin?" she whispered.

"Yes, Gina?" he replied quietly.

"Will you really teach me how to use my magic properly?" she asked him.

"Of course I will," he murmured, "Letting it free-flow is too dangerous. You're a fast learner. You'll learn to control it in no time."

"That's what the druids said," Gina told him, "But they said to just follow my instincts... I'm not sure that's the best idea."

"Sometimes it is," Merlin said, "But it'd be helpful if you could control your instincts."

"I don't think that's possible," she said yawning, "But I'll try."

"Goodnight, Gina." Merlin said, already half-asleep.

"Night, Merlin."

* * *

**So! There we have it! One episode of series 2 officially done the way I would have it! XD I apologise once again for the severe lateness of this chapter, but I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless! Feel free to chuck me a review if you feel like it, and thanks for reading!**

**PurpleDragonKeeper123**


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